Article
COVID-19 and systemic racism pandemics impact daily life for immigrant/refugees, Minneapolis, USA.
Annals of Global Health
(2021)
Abstract
Background: The pandemics of COVID-19 and systemic racism have a deleterious impact on
the daily life experiences and health for populations of color. The experiences are compounded
for immigrant/refugee communities that may have other barriers such as English language
literacy or trauma. Cumulative stress due to everyday racism is harmful for health.
Objectives: This study describes the impact of day-to-day lived experiences of Karen,
Somali, and Latinx communities during the COVID-19 pandemic and aftermath of the
police murder of George Floyd in the Minneapolis/St. Paul metro area.
Methods: In-depth interviews were conducted over three weeks in September and
October 2020 to understand the daily life experiences of Karen, Somali and Latinx adults
drawn from community contacts during the COVID-19 pandemic and the aftermath of
the police murder of George Floyd. Interviewers were bilingual and from the communities
they interviewed. Nine questions were asked, ranging from their knowledge of COVID-19,
prevention practices, experiences during shelter-in-place, and the perceptions of the
police murder of George Floyd. Qualitative analysis included transcript review, coding
facilitated by Atlas.ti Cloud software, summaries, and validation by interviewers.
Findings: Thirty-two adults were interviewed (Latinx = 10, Karen = 10, Somali = 12). Onethird
were in person per participant request and complying with COVID-19 precautions, and
the remainder were remote. The average age recorded was 37 years (range 20–66 years),
43.8% males and 56.3% females. Respondents reported experiences of discrimination
and systemic racism while engaging in daily life activities, including accessing foods
and common goods, school, work, transportation, and healthcare, all of which were
exacerbated by COVID-19 and the police murder of George Floyd.
Conclusions: Immigrant/refugee communities of color in Minneapolis/St. Paul face daily
experiences of racism that were compounded by the events of 2020. Discrimination and
systemic racism contribute to the persistent health inequities among populations of color.
Disciplines
Publication Date
Fall October, 2021
DOI
https://doi.org/10.5334/aogh.3411
Citation Information
Mary O. Hearst, Angela Ekwonye, Leso Munala, Heather Buesseler, et al.. "COVID-19 and systemic racism pandemics impact daily life for immigrant/refugees, Minneapolis, USA." Annals of Global Health (2021) Available at: http://works.bepress.com/angela-ekwonye/28/